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In many fundraising teams, donor stewardship follows a predictable script: a $250 donor gets a thank-you note and an annual report, a $500 donor also receives a quarterly newsletter and so on. While this approach acknowledges generosity, it also keeps donors in a holding pattern—focused on their last contribution rather than future possibilities.

What if stewardship wasn’t just about recognition and acknowledgement? By aligning stewardship with moves management, we can create a dynamic, forward-facing strategy that deepens engagement and drives transformational giving.

The ocean has a funny way of teaching you humility. Several years ago, I decided to tackle a new challenge: surfing. My first foray into the Pacific was less than graceful. Armed with a rented board and a healthy dose of overconfidence, I paddled out with the singular goal of getting beyond those crashing, churning waves.

And fight, I did.

Ever wish you could just hit “reset” on a hectic day? Or on a season of your work that feels heavy, cluttered, and out of focus?

Here’s the truth: your team feels that, too. And sometimes, the best leadership move you can make is to pause, step back, and help everyone realign around what truly matters.

While every day offers the option for a reset, it seems that most of us use a specific point in time, anniversary, or significant life event to pause, reflect and begin again. Psychologists say that resetting involves re-centering or a fresh start, often aiming to clear mental clutter and negative patterns.

We have all at some point found ourselves heading down the wrong path faced with the choice to push forward or retrace our steps and start out again. If we are not careful, we can view this needed U-turn as time wasted, resources squandered or even failure. If you are the leader and your team has been following close on your heels, this change in direction can feel embarrassing and humbling. You might worry that others will questions your ability to lead.

A quick Google search on “How many messages are adults receiving daily?” and “How much information are we exposed to each day?” produced varied results, but suffice it to say – it’s a lot. Between the media (printed and digital) we are actively consuming and the not-so-subtle ads and messages that creep in, it can feel like information overload.

Apply this to the work of nonprofits and it’s more important than ever to be able to clearly – and quickly – articulate your case for support.

Aspects of our work often lend themselves to sports-driven analogies and for good reason. Fundraising, like sports, is strategic, competitive, and driven by shared purpose and heart.

With the uncertainty nonprofits face today, leaning into an axiom coined by my son’s basketball coach provides us a valuable and effective approach to navigate our shifting landscape: Control the Controllables or C.T.C. Let go of what you can’t change and take control of the things you can = C.T.C.

Nonprofit leaders are known for wearing many hats—budget balancer, community builder, last-minute-slide-deck-finisher, professional schlepper—but the hat we too often leave on the shelf is the one labeled “curiosity captain”. Whether it's embracing AI, reimagining donor stewardship, or treating events as more than just logistical nightmares lifts with a side of lukewarm veggie trays and sweaty cheese cubes, we sometimes meet new ideas with hesitation or quiet resistance.

It’s time for a reset—not of our strategy, but of our attitude. Because—gulp—we might just be the problem. And that’s uncomfortable… but also incredibly fixable. What if we chose curiosity over fear, and open-minded exploration over the comfort of our preconceived notions? These shifts aren’t detours from our mission—they’re invitations to deepen and expand it. And spoiler: we don’t need to have all the answers to get started. We just need to be willing to ask better questions and create space for curiosity.

As we move through the year, nonprofit leaders need to ask themselves: Are we where we hoped to be? These check-ins are about more than forecasting—they are a strategic opportunity.

These are opportunities to not just to evaluate results, but to ask deeper questions about direction, adaptability, and mission alignment. As Tod Bolsinger writes in Canoeing the Mountains, leadership today is no longer about mastering well-worn paths. It’s about stepping into the unknown, “off the map,” where the old tools don’t work, and the terrain requires new vision, vulnerability, and innovation.

Whether you’re ahead of pace or navigating unexpected challenges, this is your opportunity to drop the oars, stop paddling harder in the wrong direction and begin adapting to the real terrain ahead.

The Headwinds

Turmoil and uncertainty leave nonprofit volunteers and staff at a loss. Should we launch our campaign? Should we pause our campaign? What about our annual fund? Where do we go from here where “here” keeps shifting?

“We are going to keep seeing patients. Today, that’s our job. To just keep seeing patients.”

A CEO of a large mental health organization said this to me recently regarding how they are navigating the uncertain federal and state funding waters right now.

She mentioned this as we are launching a strategic planning process with her staff and board.

But one might wonder how can any organization create a strategic plan if they don’t know which end is up right now?